Fiber-cleaning machine.



W. R. JOHNSON.

FIBER CLEANING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2h 1916.v

Patented May '1, 1917.

.2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

i an MM] iumr ldi'zineasea w. R. JOHNSON.

FIBER CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.21. 1916.

1,224,6%8 Patented May 1, 1917.

I 2 $HEET$SHEET 2- a UNJTTE TATE PATENT il WILLIAM R. JOHNSON, 0FCAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

FIBER-CLEANING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May it, 1917.

Application filed August 21, 1916. Serial No. 116,025.

will be understood that my invention may be used advantageously forother purposes.

In the opening and cleaning of raw fibrous material, the latter isusually fed into cleaning machines such for example as those known asWillows, the material being tumbled and partially combed due to therotation of a cylinder within a case, said cylinder generally havingteeth thereon which mesh with teeth placed on the interior of the casingin which the cylinder rotates. The fibers are thereby opened orpartially opened, and after they have passed through the machine, theyare ejected from the casing and in some instances are compelled to passbetween pressing or crushing rollers which are so designed as to crushany shives or foreign material so that it will freely drop from thefibers, the fibers passing outwardly either to another machine or to areceptacle for that purpose.

During this pressing or crushing action, some of the fibers also fallwith the dirt and shives, which causes waste and loss to themanufacturer. In some instances, some of these fibers may be reclaimed,but since they are mixed with the dirt, it is an expensive process toreclaim these fibers.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for reclaimingthe fibers such for example as fall during their progress through thepressing or crushing rolls or other means and returning them to thecleaning machine to again be passed through said rollers.

Another object is to so construct my in vention that it will beapplicable with practically all forms of cleaning machines and may beconnected or built in with the cleaning machine.

A further object is to make my invention of simple construction so thatit may be applicable to different types of machines, and

may be manufactured and installed at a reasonably low cost. 7

These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be describedhereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings in which v Figure 1 is an end elevationshowing my invention in connection with two Cone Willow cleaningmachines and crushing rollers designed to press the fibers as they passfrom one machine to the other ma chine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing my invention in connection with a seriesof three cleaning machines of the Cone \Villow the Cone Willowsconstructed n accordance with my invention, and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line aa of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a casing which forms a housing for afrusto-conical cylinder 2 which is rotatably mounted in said casing andis provided with teeth 3 which mesh with teeth 4 on longitudinallyextending side beams 5 in the casing.

A sieve or screen 6 is supported within the casing and serves to retainthe fibers, but permits dirt, which collects due to the dusting of thecleaning action of the cylinder, to fall to the lower portion 7 of thecasing where it may be removed from time to time.

The casing 1 has an inlet opening 8 near its narrow end, and an outletopening 9 at its wide end through which the material after having beendusted, opened, and partially cleaned is ejected.

A frame 10 supports a series of pressing or crushing rolls 11 which arepreferably fluted so that they will crush the shives or other foreignmaterial without injuring the fibers. These rollers may be driven in anyconvenient manner so as torotate and feed the fibers in the direction ofthe arrow as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing into the inlet opening ofanother cleaning machine as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A perforated drum 12 is preferably located directly at the innermost endof the outlet opening 9 so as to receive the fibers as they are' ejectedby the cylinder 2. This drum acts as a preliminary collector for thefibers, and acts also as a guide for the fibers toward the fluted rolls11.

Hoppers 13 and 14 are positioned respectively below the rolls 11 anddrum 12 and form a receptacle so that the shives or other foreignmaterial which falls during the progress of the fibers between therolls, will drop therein. Furthermore, any of the fibers which fall willalso be collected and retained by said hoppers. The bottoms of thehoppers 13 and 14: are provided with openings to which are attachedsuction pipes 15 and 16.

These pipes 15 and 16 connect with a main pipe 17 which extends upwardlyand opens into the casing 1 as shown at 18 in Fig. 3. The large end ofthe cylinder 2 has a partition 19 which divides the cylinder into twocompartments 20 and 21. The compartment 21 is preferably closed by sheetmaterial 22 which extends entirely around the cylinder, but thecompartment 20 is open, the end of said compartment being limited by aspider 23 which acts as a reinforcement and support for the end of thecylinder.

As illustrated, this spider 23 has four arms which respectively assistin supporting the ends of the lags 24 having the pins 3 thereon. Thisspider 23 is also provided with a central collar 25 through which themain shaft 26 of the cylinder extends.

A fan 27 is positioned within the compartment 20 and as illustrated hasfour blades 28, each blade being in line with each of the arms of saidspider and extend to the partition 19.

The rotation of the cylinder 2 and fan causes a suction of air inwardlythrough the opening 18 and pipes 15, 16, and 17, so that any fiberswhich fall into the hoppers 13 and 14, are sucked into the compartment20 and during the rotation of the cylinder, are again ejected outwardlythrough the opening 9 to pass over the drum 12 and between the rolls 11.The dirt which falls into the hoppers 13 and 141 is heavier than thefibers, and hence remains at the extreme bottom of the hoppers where itmay be readily removed.

Any number of machines may be coupled together according to thecondition of the fibers to be cleaned.

It will be understood that with my invention, the cylinder acts both asmeans for opening and cleaning the fibers, while it is within the casing1, and also acts to operate the fan to suck back into the easing 1,fibers which fail to properly go through the crushing rolls or othercleaning mechanism.

My invention, therefore, is extremely efiicient so that there ispractically no waste or loss of fibers by their accidental falling fromthe crushing rollers.

lVhile I have described my invention as taking a particular form, itwill be understood that the various parts of my invention may be changedwithout departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limitmyself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am atliberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a unitary casinghaving a movable cleaning member therein, suction producing means insaid casing operatively connected to said member and operative in unisontherewith, said casing having an outlet through which said member ejectsmaterial after it has passed through said casing, a receptacle forreceiving material after passing said outlet, and means forming a returnpassage between said receptacle and said suction producing means wherebymaterial is sucked from said receptacle into the casing and againejected out of said opening, substantially as described.

2. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a unitary casinghaving a rotatable cleaning member therein, said member having a fanoperatively connected thereto and mounted in said casing, said fan beingrotatable in unison with said member, said casing having an outletthrough which said member ejects material after it has passedtherethrough, a receptacle for receiving material after passing saidoutlet, and means forming a return passage between said receptacle andthe space within said casing occupied by said fan whereby said fan sucksmaterial from said.receptacle and again ejects it out of said opening,substantially as described.

3. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a unitary casinghaving a rotatable cleaning member therein, said member having a fanoperatively connected thereto and mounted in said casing, said fan beingrotatable in unison with said member, said casing having an outletopening through which said member ejects material after it has passedtherethrough, additional cleaning means adjacent said outlet opening, areceptacle located below said additional cleaning means, and meansforming a passage between said receptacle and the space within saidcasing occupied by said fan whereby the latter sucks material from saidreceptacle and again ejects it out of said opening, substantially asdescribed.

1. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a casing having arotatable cleaning member therein, said member having a fan operativelyconnected thereto and mounted in said casing, an outlet opening throughwhich said member ejects material after it has passed therethrough, aseries of crushing rolls located adjacent said outlet opening, areceptacle located below said crushing rolls, and means forming apassage between said receptacle and the space within said casingoccupied by said fan whereby said fan sucks material from saidreceptacle and again ejects it out of said opening, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a casing having aninlet and an outlet opening, a rotatable shaft in said casing, acylinder secured to said shaft within said casing, a fan operativelyconnected to said shaft and mounted within said casing, additionalcleaning means adjacent said outlet opening, a receptacle located belowsaid additional cleaning means, said casing having a third openingtherein communicating with the fan, and means forming a passage betweensaid receptacle and said third opening whereby material is sucked fromsaid receptacle into the fan space and again ejected out of saidopening, substantially as described.

6. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a casing having aninlet and an outlet opening, a rotatable shaft in said casing, acylinder secured to said shaft with in said casing, said cylinder beingdivided into two compartments, one of saidcompartments being closed tothe interior of the casing, the other of said compartments being open tothe interior of the casing, a fan rotatable in said latter compartmentand operatively connected to said cylinder, additional cleaning meansadjacent said outlet opening, a receptacle located below said additionalcleaning means, said casing having an opening communicating with saidopen compartment, and means forming a passage between said receptacleand said opening whereby material is sucked by said fan from saidreceptacle into the open compartment and again ejected out of saidopening, substantially as described.

7. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a unitary casinghaving an inlet and an outlet opening, a cylinder rotatable within saidcasing, a fan operatively connected to said cylinder and rotatable inunison therewith and mounted in the casing adjacent one end thereof,said end of the easing having an inlet suction opening, additionalcleaning means adjacent said outlet opening, a receptacle located belowsaid additional cleaning means, a pipe forming a passage between saidreceptacle and said suction opening in the casing, whereby the fibrousmaterial is sucked from said receptacle into the fan space of saidcasing and again ejected out of said outlet opening, substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination in fiber cleaning mechanism, of a casing having arotatable cleaning member therein, said member having a fan operativelyconnected thereto and mounted in said casing, an outlet opening throughwhich said member ejects material after it has passed therethrough,other cleaning means locatedadjacent said outlet opening, a receptaclelocated below said additional cleaning means, and means forming apassage between said receptacle and the space within said casingoccupied by said fan whereby said fan sucks material from saidreceptacle and again ejects it out of said opening, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. R. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

ALBERT E. ENGEL, Louis R. NEALEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Fatenta,

Washington, D. 0.

